Rockers Without Borders

Big D music is on the road and in the movies

Invasion: Polyphonic Spree's Fragile Army is finally poised to invade the nation. The album is set for release June 19, and if you want you can buy the special edition with a 52-minute DVD documentary (made by Julie Doyle) and a Hal Samples-shot video, along with a Fragile Army patch. Then the Spree kick off their tour June 23 at the Granada and conclude with a performance at the August 3 Chicago Lollapalooza, with 25 dates in between. Even though we all know the Spree would never hurt a fly, it's still kind of creepy to know they've evolved from the cult-rumor-inducing robes to black, military-style uniforms. Really, guys? Black? In the summer? In Chicago?

Tell me why I don't like Mondays... : Here we were getting all riled up and excited for Metal Mondays at the Lakewood Bar and Grill. Metal Mondays, see, is a cheese metal tribute night (like you couldn't figure that out) starring the band Metal Shop, a group of bewigged pranksters who paint on the spandex and the makeup and cover everyone from Bon Jovi to Poison to Night Ranger. There's nothing cooler than a group of goofy guys/gals who do such for the love of the music, or at least the love of the parody, or the love of getting all dressed up like jackasses.

'Cept, Metal Mondays, it turns out, is a show produced by Perfect World Entertainment, a company that puts on such shows all across the country, often catering to corporate and celebrity clients (according to their Web site, Jessica Simpson's a fan). "Credited with single-handedly igniting the disco revival of the 1990s," the site says, "PWE has applied the same innovative approach to its other shows like 'The Spazmatics,' a nerdy new wave dance party, and the comedic pop-rock spoof known as 'Metal Shop.'" Can you imagine dragging your ass to some company get-together and having to endure three hours of the Spazmatics? That's so The Office! Anyway, turns out there are different Metal Shop bands across the country. Kinda takes the fun out of it, huh?

Metal Shop Dallas' lead vox, Michael Diamond.

Vote, damn you!: Thursday, May 31, marks your last chance to vote on the nominations ballot for the Dallas Observer Music Awards. We've got some fun new stuff planned for this year's DOMAs, and we want your input. Huh...that's what she said.

Douchebag puts together soundtrack (no, it's not Zach Braff): Do you like Ethan Hawke? Us neither, but that's not stopping us from informing you that his new film The Hottest State, features tunes from some pretty damn fine Texas musicians, including Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris and Norah Jones, all singing songs penned by Jesse Harris (who wrote Jones' hit "Don't Know Why"). According to the press release, The Hottest State is "adapted by Ethan Hawke from his novel of the same name" and "is a bittersweet romance that distills the joy, pain, erotic highs and emotional lows of first love." Yeah...that sounds fun.

Insert kielbasa joke here: Looks like Dallas' current best hope for world domination, Fair to Midland, takes one step closer toward that goal, as they will appear at the Metal Hammer Festival in Poland, along with Tool, Chris Cornell, Dir en Grey (with whom FTM just toured), Coma and Delight. Maybe they can borrow the Polyphonic Spree's uniforms.